Celebrations of Life After Battling Cancer

Published: July 23, 1995

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But most of all, she said, she wants to be treated just as people normally treat others. "People come up to you and say, 'I have so much respect for you.' It's not a matter of respect," she said. "It's a disease. You go through it and you want to be treated like a normal human being. People have to realize that life goes on for us. We're back in the swing of things."

Hartford Hospital was not the only place drawing attention to the needs of cancer survivors. At a similar celebration a week earlier, patients at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington marked National Cancer Survivor Day.

Leading the music at the celebration in Farmington was Joseph (Tiny Joe) Eleazar of Hartford. A few years ago, Mr. Eleazar -- the leader of Tiny Joe and the Family Jazz Band -- was a patient at UConn undergoing treatment for colon cancer. "They took out five feet of my upper intestines," he said. "I was in intensive care for 10 days. They say they usually carry you out in a body bag at that stage."

Now, Mr. Eleazer is back on stage. His band is busy but he wouldn't miss playing at the UConn event. "You never know unless you're a cancer patient how important it is to have that togetherness like we have at that event," he said. "A friend of mine that has cancer didn't go because she thought it would be depressing. But it's life that we're celebrating, not death."

Among the speakers at UConn was Joyce M. Saltman, a humor therapist, who lectures frequently to cancer survivors. She peppers her talks with jokes but the underlying message is that with laughter there is hope, she says.

Often, she receives letters. "This week," Ms. Saltman said, "a woman sent me a wonderful thank-you because when she came last year it was her 39th birthday and she had just been diagnosed with leukemia. This year, she came to show me how well she is. She wrote me this whole thank-you about how this ability to laugh at herself and what was happening to her was going to help her pull through."

At Hartford Hospital, Mr. Zebrack talked of why he goes on the road every year, talking to cancer survivors. "This year marks the 10th year of my cancer survivorship," he said. "That statement is something I did not hear from others during my treatment. I had no role models. There was nobody I could look to and realize that there was the potential for a vibrant life. I wanted to do this so that someone could think, 'If there's a guy who can ride his bicycle across the country after cancer, maybe I can work in my garden or go back to work or play golf or take up something new.' "

Listening intently in the audience was Mrs. Combs, who manages a health club. She said that she felt as though Mr. Zebrack were talking especially to her. "I love bike riding, Rollerblading and cross-country skiing," she said. "I used to be a runner. That's why I asked Brad how long it took him to get his legs back after his treatment. I've already started running again. I'm going to make it."

Photos: People who have fought cancer celebrate life at a party at Hartford Hospital. Above, Judi Kulko, nurse coordinator, greets a former patient, Ruth Ann Lobo. (Photographs by George Ruhe for The New York Times)